Build Thread: 1937 LaSalle / Family Hot Rod

[37 Caddy]

So here is my first attempts at upholstery. I am working from the back to the front. I had to do a great deal of woodworking to get to this point and then I bought a whole role of tan vinyl to start wrapping stuff with. When it comes time to start sewing stuff I will call in a friend to make the foam and leather from a 2004 Bravada work in my 73 year old car.

Here are the before pics of the package tray and the bare back seat. There is also a picture that shows how I recessed a pocket for the rear speakers to make them mount flush. I chose to make an upholstered speaker grill so that I could get access to the speakers without disassmbling the entire interior.

rear uph bare.jpg

rear uph pre pack tray.jpg

uph pack tray pieces bare.jpg

uph speaker recess pack tray.jpg

[37 Caddy]

Here is what some of the finished product looks like and a mockup of one side of the seat. You may also notice that I used a thinner luan lumber for the speaker grill. I wish I had taken some pictures of the armrests in their raw wood state, I am really proud of the way they came together. The armrests required a number of complex curves and molding to the body contours. I don't have a picture of it, but I have punched a pattern of holes in the vinyl for the speakers.
uph rear pack tray complete.jpg

uph rear seat progress 2.jpg

uph rear seat progress 1.jpg

[37 Caddy]

Since this is the family hot rod, it will need to be equipped to latch in some car seats. So before I went any further I need latching brackets. So that is what I started working on tonight. I bent some 1/4 inch rod into a rectangular shape, cut some grooves in a 2 in wide piece of 1/8 in flat stock and welded it rock solid. I will have pictures for you tomorrow.(The wife is going out of town tomorrow so I can stay up late and work in the garage.)

This was also the first night that it was comfortable to work in the garage. Temperatures were below a hundred here today, that is big deal for us in AZ.

Jay